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Boys' Soccer Clinches Postseason Berth

Two early goals in Tuesday's home game against the Barnstable Red Raiders proved all the Vineyarders would need to secure their spot in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association postseason tournament. The final score was 2-1. The team is the third Vineyard squad to advance to tournament play: field hockey and golf clinched their berths two weeks ago.

Senior Martin Aranzabe controls the ball.
— Ivy Ashe

Junior Kane Araujo scored unassisted less than 10 minutes into the first half. Senior captain Jack Roberts followed up Araujo's goal not long after with an arcing shot from 25 yards out that blew past Barnstable's keeper.

Although the Vineyard scored a goal for the other team in the second half, they held off Barnstable for the duration of the game and outpaced their opponents in shots on goal. Senior goalie Jackson McBride made several "tremendous saves" in the box, head coach Damon Burke said, while sophomore midfielder Noah Kleinhenz — in just his second year playing soccer — continues to be a surprise standout. "It was all-around a great team effort," Coach Burke said.

Barnstable, a Divison 1 team (the Vineyard plays in Division 2), plays tough, chippy soccer, he continued. In the teams' last meeting, the Vineyarders and the Red Raiders tied 2-2.

The Vineyarders are now 6-3-5 this season. They will play Nantucket in an away game on Thursday.